Humidifying apparatus



. A. w. ANTHONY, JR 1,978,007

HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS Filed June 6, 1950 v II flue. Jzvenivr 0M mum-11res PATENT OFFICE 1,9'zs,oo'z nummmno APPARATUS Alfred W. Anthony, 'Jr.,

Belmont, Mass assignor to Pease, Anthony Equipment 00., Cambridge, Mass,a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 6, 1930, Serial No.459,470

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for thehumidification of gases, more particularly air.

The purpose of the-invention is to provide a 5 relatively simple andcompact form of apparatus for this purpose which accomplishes thedesired humidification of a comparatively large volume of air withoutoccupying excessive space. In accordance with this purpose, it is alsoan object of the invention to provide a relatively compact and portableform of self-contained apparatus which is capable of employment tordomestic use, as the humidification of living rooms, offices, andsimilar space.

With this and other objects in view, the various features .of theinvention consist in certain novel features of construction,combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, the advantages of which will be obvious scripti'on.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred form of theinvention,

Fig. 1 represents a section in elevation of my improved humidifyingapparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a section of the apparatus on the section lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

According to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the air to behumidified, which is relatively dry and capable of absorbing a highproportion of moisture per unit of volume, is caused to pass directlythrough a spray of water in substantial volume, which is intimatelymixed with the air in such a fashion that a comparatively large volumeof the water is absorbed and evaporated thereby. In the simplest andmost efficient form of the invention which has yet been devised, Icreate a relatively fine spray by centrifugally spinning one or morethin films of water from a. rapidly rotating head. This spray is of asufiicient degree of fineness to be readily absorbed by air with whichit immediately comes in contact, and because of this relatively finesubdivision is incapable of maintaining its traversing velocity at asubstantial distance beyond the peripheral delivery edge. In actualpractice the incoming air to -be humidified is first directed downwardlywithin an annular passage, intersecting the lower spray, thence upwardlyagain intersecting the lower spray, and finally the upper spray topromote the greatest amount of contact between the air and the spraythroughout a minimum period of travel. After emerging from 55 the upperspray, the airis drawn upwardly, and thence directed outwardly from theupper portion of the apparatus by a suitable form of fan without thenecessity of bathing or similar means for removal of entrainment, theair having sufficient capacity for absorption of moisture to substantothose skilled in the art from the following detially completelyevaporate all water, vapor or liquid which may be picked up thereby.

Referring to the drawing, the humidifying apparatus comprises generallya casing 10 of generally cylindrical outline adapted to serve as asupport and surround a separable basin 12 which contains a supply ofhumidifying liquid, as water. The lower portion of the casing 10,indicated at 11, is somewhat larger than the upper portion of the casingto p'rovide'an annular intake passage 16 extending about the casingportion for the downward passage of air therethrough. The casing portion11 is provided with a depressed or generally conical partition 18 whichserves to reverse the direction of flow of the entering air about thelower edge 20 of the casing and direct it upwardly within the casing.Mounted within the casing immediately above the edge 20 are a seriesofdirecting vanes or partitions 22 which are located circumferentiallyabout the casing and are uniformly spaced in a general tangentialrelation to the periphery of the spray head for a purpose to bepresently described. The air after its passage upwardly through thevanes 22 flows freely through the unrestricted upper portion of thechamber 24, and is thence dr'awn outwardly by an exhaust fan, indicatedat 26, the fan having a relatively restricted central intake portion 28through which the air is caused to pass. From the fan the humidified airpasses outwardly through the upper outer portion 30 of the casing, thisportion being separated from the humidirying 'chamber proper by a top orpartition 32 upon which is mounted the intakeduct 28' from the fan. i

The moving parts of the apparatus are conveniently operated by a smallmotor 34 which is supported by a series of flat spring arms 36 connectedat their inner ends tangentially with the-hub of the motor housing, andsupported at their outer ends by brackets 38. The fan 26 is mounteddirectly on the upper end of the motor shaft 40 which carries at itslower end a rotary spray head 42 communicating with a conical tube '44which will be noted that the delivery edges of the spray head rotate inclose proximity to the inner ends of the directing vanes 22, and thatthe spray delivered from the edges tends to fly outwardly from thedelivery edge into the spaces afiorded between the vanes withoutsubstantial interference thereby. Inspection of Fig. 1 will indicatethat the lowermost spray delivered from the edge is slightly below thelevel of the lower edges of the directing vanes 22 and edge 20 of thecasing, this spray traveling outwardly until it impinges upon the sidewall of the basin 12. The upper spray, on the other hand, entersdirectly into the spaces formed by the partition vanes, and serves tothoroughly wet the walls of the vanes due to the moisture being carriedthereover by gravity. With this construction it will be evident,therefore, that the air entering through the annular passage firstintercepts the lower spray at the bottom 01 the chamber 16, againintercepts this spray upon its reversal of direction upwardly throughthe parti tion vane, encounters the wet walls of the partition vanes onpassage therethrough, and finally emerges through the upper spray intothe chamber thereabout. I have found that it is important in this typeof apparatus to avoid and minimize the swirling of the air during theprocess of humidification, this swirling of the air tending tocentrifugally eject moisture and reduce the volume which may otherwisebe absorbed in any given unit of time. The provision of the tangentialvanes 22 prevents swirling action of the air, either due to its incomingdirection and velocity or due to the swirling action of the sprayinitiated by the rotating head. By reducing to a minimum andsubstantially eliminating this swirling tendency on the part of the air,I am enabled to provide a form of spray head capable of delivering anexceedingly fine spray in close proximity to the surrounding envelope ofair, the whole serving to promote an exceedingly intimate mixture ofmoisture and air in a comparatively small space. As a result I amenabled to obtain a very substantially higher degree of humidificationthan would otherwise be possible in apparatus of this capacity.

It will be evident that moisture not absorbed by the air runs downwardlyonto the depressed partition 18, and is thence returned through thecentral opening 60 into the reservoir. The latter may conveniently beprovided with baflies 62 to avoid swirling or turbulence of the water inthe reservoir through the rotation of the conical pump 44 dippingtherein.

Although the present apparatus is particularly designed for delivering acomparatively large amount of moisture for humidifying purposes to airor similar gases, neverthless there are certain features of theapparatus which may conceivably be employed to advantage in connectionwith the scrubbing of gases, as in the removal of foreign matter, asdust, from the gases and air. It will also be evident that in theprocess of humidifying where the prime function is to supply moisture tothe air, there is nevertheless a distinct and efiective washing of theair in apparatus of this character, due to the wetting down andconsequent removal of dust and similar material which in its driedcondition normally flows with the air.

It will be furthermore noted that owing to the tangential arrangement ofthe partition members, drops of spray thrown off from the rapidlyrotating head enter between the partition members and in a directiongenerally parallel thereto rather than impinging directly upon thepartition members, and thus immediately destroying or minimizing theirhumidifying capacity. Inspection of the drawing will indicate that therotation of the spray head is such as to deliver the spray tangentiallyin approximate parallelism with the tangential vanes, thus prevention ofair swirling is accomplished without substantial interference with thefunctioning of the spray, and in addition a substantial wet area incontact with the moving air current is presented.

What is claimed is:

1. Humidifying apparatus comprising a casing forming a humidifyingchamber, a motor rotating about a vertical axis within the chamber, arotary spray head below the motor and connected thereto, flatimperforate partition vanes disposed in tangential relation to theperiphery of the spray head and in proximity thereto, an enlarged lowerportion connected with the casing and communicating with the interiorthrough a downwardly extending annular passage, a partition in the lowermember diverting incoming air upwardly through the partition vanes andspray therein, and a fan at the upper end of the chamber withdrawing airoutwardly from the chamber.

2. Humidifying apparatus comprising a casing enclosing a humidifyingchamber, an electric motor within the chamber, a vertical motor shaft, arotary spray head connected to the shaft below the motor and rotatingcentrally of the chamber, a water reservoir below the spray head, meansfor elevating water from the reservoir to the spray head, a series offlat imperforate partition vanes disposed about the spray head intangential relation to the periphery thereof and substantially fillingthe space beyond the spray head, and means for directing air to behumidified first downwardly and thence upwardly through the vanes tointercept the spray a plurality of times in its traverse through theapparatus.

3. Humidifying apparatus comprising a rotaryspray head designed todeliver an outwardly radiating spray, a cylindrical casing about thespray head having an outer portion and an inner portion providing anannular passage extending downwardly and inwardly within the casing,means for supporting the spray head for rotation within the innerportion, a separate liquid basin within the lower part of the outercasing portion, a pump member arranged to dip within the central part ofthe basin positioned within the casing, and a partition between theinner surface of the outer casing portion between the lower edge of theinner casing portion and the basin to prevent liquid from escaping thebasin after being thrown from the spray head and to direct the aircoming through the annular passage inwardly of the casing. p

4. Humidifying apparatus comprising an electric motor, a rotary sprayhead secured to the motor shaft to deliver an outwardly radiating spray,a casing about the spray head and motor having an outer portion and aninner portion providing an annular passage extending downwardly andinwardly within the casing, means for supporting the motor on resilientmountings secured within the inner casing, a partition having a centralopening within the inner casing above the motor and spray head, and anexhaust fan attached to the motor shaft and operating in an unrestrictedfree space into which the air is exhausted above the partition.

